Environmentalists lobby for national development plan
While environmental issues are always in the headlines, of late significant public outcry over the granting of petroleum exploration concessions, tourism development, and most recently, the integrity of protected areas has prompted local conservationists to present a unified position to policy makers in Belmopan. News Five’s Janelle Chanona explains.
Mike Heusner, Belize Hotel Association
“When the people lead, the leaders will follow as we did recently.”
Janelle Chanona, Reporting
It was in that spirit that local conservationists and civil society groups gathered in Belize City this afternoon to launch the Lamanai Room Declaration II.
The environmentalists assert that Belize’s natural resources are at their most vulnerable state as the de-reservation of protected areas, unsustainable tourism and coastal development, lack of long-term planning and meaningful consultation, as well as the apparent inability to maintain territorial integrity has dramatically and irreparably changed the Belizean landscape.
Melanie McField, Coordinator, Healthy Reefs Initiative
“What we’re really talking about in the end is the future of the country; it’s really nothing short of that. It is a crossroads that Belize is facing to say right now, okay which path are we taking.”
According to biologist Melanie McField, there has been little balance between development and the environment.
Melanie McField
“We’re just not planning anything, it’s all who has interest and money and ownership of a certain area and they want to do something they do it. And we are not planning it on the big picture, on the whole to balance out benefits for everyone and I think that’s one of the main points of integrated coastal zone management is to balance those benefits. There’s always environmental costs, we can accept that. But I do know that too much development, too quick, and in the wrong places is gonna hurt everyone.”
Those words are surprisingly similar to statements made a decade ago, when the first Lamanai declaration was signed.
Susan Fuller, President, B.T.I.A. (August 14, 1997)
“Lack of transparency, the way in which the processes, the licenses were issued, the projects were approved are not full of any sort of transparent method. They are not even following the laws of the day that were put there for these same reasons, to be able to weed out projects that are going to destroy Belize. That’s as simply as I can get.”
Ten years ago, the hot topic was logging concessions granted to Malaysian companies … The catalyst for this year’s declaration was the public outcry over the proposed de-reservation of a portion of the Bacalar Chico National Park.
Anna Hoare, Executive Director, Belize Audubon Society
“It’s a call for the Government, a call for the people of Belize, a call for everybody to just say, these are issues that are not only affecting the conservation community and the environment, but it’s affecting each of our lives.”
One of the outcomes of Lamanai I was the establishment of the Coastal Zone Management Authority, an agency that is no longer operational. And once again, the environmentalists are calling for a comprehensive management plan.
Anna Hoare
“Environmental issues really should be greater than politics. That really we should be looking at issues such as the development of a national development plan that considers a sustainable future. We should be looking at issues of coastal plan development, having transparent and accountable processes at NEAC and at other national committees of that nature.”
Janelle Chanona
“Do you accept the accusation though that sometimes the environmental community doesn’t cry foul because of who’s doing a particular project, that it’s political allegiances?”
Anna Hoare
“Well that’s a difficult question, but yes, I guess human nature we do have a tendency to not listen to certain people. Belize Audubon Society has always tried to be neutral and objective in providing information and if you look at the organisations today, we do use data, we use research to ensure that whatever we are asking is because we have a scientific basis for that. … So really one of the greatest issues become then how we develop this country in a sustainable manner so that we can use it today and also into future.”
Edilberto Romero, Chairman, APAMO
“During this time of elections things get really, more aggressive in terms of depleting the natural resources, so I think it is a good time that we issue this declaration for the government and for any political party that comes into power and for the people in general because it’s also a call for the Belizean people to provide support for initiatives like this by supporting out activities and also financial resources because for us to address these activities we need financial resources.”
The conservationists’ call for shared responsibility was answered today as members of the public officially signed the Lamanai Declaration II. The document will now be forwarded to government officials in Belmopan for action. Reporting for News Five, I am Janelle Chanona.
Lamanai II was compiled by a working group comprised of members of the Belize Audubon Society, the Association of Protected Areas Management Organizations, the Belize Tourism Industry Association and the Society for the Promotion of Education and Research. Included in the ten point declaration, the environmentalists “strongly” urge the Government of Belize to stop de-reserving protected areas, provide technical and financial resources to curb illegal activities, enforce regulations and develop a national economic and sustainable plan for the country’s resources.
